A model for experience

I have been trying to come up with a model for experience to better shape designs. While developing slides for a presentation, the beginnings of such a model are beginning to take shape.  This is a draft of these ideas that I want to socialize.

The basis of this model is a set of 6 major components that make up an experience. These components are:

1. The Experient
2. The Experience
3. The Interface
4. The Goal
5. The Production
6. The Environment

A model for experience

The Experient: In User Experience the experient is the user. However for the model, any person or thing (e.g. an organization) can be effected by experience.

The Experience: The experience is the physical representation  of the interactions, impressions and results from the perspective of the experient.

The Interface: The interface is the medium that the experient interacts with to create the experience. The interface can be the website used to purchase a product. It can be a bar, bartender and the cocktails that they create. The interface can even be a website to book a trip, a hotel and theme park.

The Goal: The goal is the intended results desired by the production of the experience.

The Production: The production is the collection of the actions and entities that define the goal and create the interface.

The Environment: The environment is the medium in which the entire experience model exists.  The environment includes cost, culture, politics, physical constraints, resources, among other things.  Some parts of the environment can be changed, while other parts are constants.

Note that the actual experience is a small membrane on the edge of the interface.  This represents the fact that create experiences, a great deal of effort goes into producing something that has limited exposure to the experient. 

UX Span of control

The UX professional can have control of everything up to the actual experince, there may be some environment factors that the UX professional cannot impact.

While the UX professional has direct control on how the experient chooses to interact, the UX professional mitigates user bias to the experience goal through research to anticipate the experient's actions and perceptions

Again, these are just the beginning notes I plan to revisit this often.

Wise Words from the Sword Saint Mushashi

For the first time in a long, time, I read The Book of Five Ringsby Miyamoto Musashi, the Sword Saint of Japan. The book is a primer for the strategy of combat. Many have read his book for enlightenment beyond the philosophy of combat—mainly for business strategy. Little did I think that I would receive enlightenment on information. It is most fitting, for Musashi is considered to be one of the greatest proponents of Dō, or the theory of a subject domain.
In the opening of the Book of Water (The Book of Five Rings’ five sections are: Earth, Water, Fire, Wind and No-thing), Musashi warns his readers to make sure they distinguish between information and knowledge:

“…It should be understood that while information may be evident, knowledge is not necessarily obvious.”

Musashi goes on to say to read his words carefully and understand the meaning. Just reading the words would inform the reader, while understanding the text would bring knowledge. Musashi placed the burden of knowledge and enlightenment on the reader.

Does this apply to information today? Yes, Musashi’s words ring true today as they did when he wrote them-especially the distinction between information and knowledge. While there may be a great burden on the reader to comprehend knowledge, there is also a great responsibility placed on the author of content. If the information provided is not clear and correct and presented in a way for high comprehension, then only the most astute reader might gain comprehension.